TV TREATS YULE LOVE
DALEKS, NUNS AND A DRAGON, HERE IS OUR PICK OF THE TOP TELLY THIS CHRISTMAS
ROALD & BEATRIX
Sky One, 8.15pm
HERE’S a comedy drama to warm the cockles – based on the true story of when a six-year-old Roald Dahl set off to meet his favourite author, Beatrix Potter. The
90-minute special features Dawn
French as Beatrix, with the cast also including Jessica Hynes, Rob Brydon and Alison Steadman.
ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
Channel 5, 9pm
IT’S Christmas Eve and Helen is due to marry Hugh the following day.
Lovelorn vet James Herriot is called out when a dog needs help to give birth and Helen goes with him.
He saves the dog, but then fog traps them high in the Dales overnight.
Hmmm, will James keep his true feelings in check? Will he ’eck!
BIRDS OF A FEATHER ITV, 9.15pm
HANG on, where’s Sharon? And how come Dorien is going out with Les Dennis?
Birds of a Feather makes a welcome return after a three-year absence. Sharon is stuck on a Covid cruise, but Les’s character Graeme arrives to cheer things up.
Ami Metcalf as Jordan, a pal of Tracey’s, still predicts a glum lockdown Christmas.
CHRISTMAS DAY
ZOG AND THE FLYING DOCTORS
BBC1, 2.35pm
MAKE way for the sequel to Zog, which delighted viewers two years ago.
This latest animation, using the words of Julia Donaldson and illustrations of Axel Scheffler, has
Sir Lenny Henry as the narrator, joined by Rob Brydon as King, Hugh Skinner as Zog and Daniel Ings as Sir Gadabout, while Patsy Ferran reprises her role as Princess Pearl.
BLANKETY BLANK
BBC1, 7pm
THE classic game show is
Nicholas Ralph as James Herriot and Rachel Shenton as Helen Alderson in the festive All Creatures Great and Small
Phoebe Dynevor and Ruth Gemmell in Bridgerton back, with Bradley Walsh as host and a panel of six celebrities who do their best to fill in missing blanks and help win prizes for the contestants.
The one-off festive special also features a return of the legendary Blankety Blank cheque book and pen. Yay!
CALL THE MIDWIFE BBC1, 7.40pm
IT’S Christmas 1965 and Nonnatus House is getting ready to celebrate – until Sister Monica Joan is rushed to hospital.
Trixie is furious to receive a
Pearl (voiced by Patsy Ferran), Gadabout (Daniel Ings) and Zog (Hugh Skinner) in Zog and the Flying Doctors subscription to a marriage bureau and a surprise reunion for Shelagh involves her in a moving birth.
And the circus brings adventure for Nurse Crane.
QUENTIN BLAKE’S CLOWN Channel 4, 7.40pm
BASED on the classic children’s book and narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, it follows the adventures of a little clown thrown away with some old toys. Handdrawn animation captures the unique style of Quentin Blake’s artwork.
VICTORIA WOOD: THE SECRET LIST
BBC2, 9.10pm
PRIOR to her untimely death, Victoria Wood had jotted down a list of the favourite sketches she’d created.
More than 20 of them have been compiled into a two-parter which features clips from her own personal archive.
The programmes also include contributions from friends.
It may be bittersweet, but boy, it’ll be funny.
BRIDGERTON Netflix
FANS of period dramas will love Bridgerton. Based on the romance novels of Julia Quinn, and produced by Shona Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy), it is set in Regency London and follows the eight close-knit siblings of the powerful Bridgerton family as they attempt to find love.
It is likely to turn leading lady Phoebe Dynevor into a global star. The stellar cast also includes Polly Walker and Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan.
MRS BROWN’S BOYS
BBC1, 10pm
IT WOULDN’T be Christmas without Mammy and the family. This time Agnes and Winnie have entered a contest to perform an alternative Queen’s speech. In the next special on New Year’s Day, Winnie is burgled and strives to describe the thieves.
BOXING DAY THE REPAIR SHOP
BBC1, 6.45pm
THE experts restore four festive treasures. One of the cherished items is a rocking horse bought for a five-year-old daughter who sadly died two years later.
And an 80-year-old man brings a toy truck given to him in 1945. He now wants his young grandson to enjoy it as he did.
NEW YEAR’S DAY DOCTOR WHO
BBC1, 6.45pm
CAPTAIN Jack is back in this special with John Barrowman reprising his role as one of the show’s most iconic characters in Revolution of the Daleks.
Having made an appearance in the
Ami Metcalf, Linda Robson, Lesley Joseph and Les Dennis in the Birds of a Feather: Christmas special
The Repair Shop is open for Christmas
The Daleks return in the 2020 Doctor Who special last series, he is desperately needed as the 13th Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) languishes in space jail after being captured by the Judoon police and her sidekicks face the Daleks.
DANCING ON THIN ICE WITH TORVILL AND DEAN
ITV, 9pm
APPARENTLY Olympic champions Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have skated together for 45 years – but never outdoors.
They head to a lake in Alaska but find climate change may have ruined their dream, so they are forced into the wilderness.